The Next Generation of Peaceful Warriors

“All that is written in the Torah was written for the sake of peace.”

-Tanhuma Shoftim 18

Shalom Chaverim- Hello Friends,

We’ve made it to our seventh and final unit for the school year: “Shalom.”

Our last four lessons are all about peace, and there is no finer way to end the semester.

Many of the wisdom traditions see peace consciousness as our true self, where there is nowhere to “get to.” By merely rediscovering our true essence, or rather, our timeless and boundless souls, one is immersed in a state of peace. That is beautiful, and meditation is an incredible way to connect to our “wholeness” or “completeness” which is the root of Shalom.

I could write about the soul all day in my personal passion for the metaphysical, but in search of a deeper connection to the ShalomLearning community, I researched in the physical world. Turns out that there are precisely six “colleges of war” in the United States.  I am not a fan of war per se, but I also understand that security is an important value too. Until there is a complete consciousness change of only seeking peace in our world, we certainly need our military. Our brothers and sisters of arms are selfless heroes and they are doing an amazing job at keeping us safe in the United States, Israel, and other countries that value freedom. Thank you to all those that protect us.

But I am also happy to report that there are 40 other colleges that offer programs and degrees in “Peace Studies,” such as in Peace and Conflict Resolution.

And yet Judaism has been doing this for thousands of years: striving for social justice, human rights, ethical behavior, conflict management, etc. Our “degree in peace studies” is simply “living a Jewish life.” As I touched on in the last newsletter, Jewish wisdom helps develop more evolved compassionate and just human beings. And we define Shalom as “helping to create a calmer more peaceful world.”

Shalomlearning graduates understand how their Jewish values help them live meaningful lives. Whether it is creating social change in their mitzvah projects, learning the numerous prayers for peace from our Tefillah program, “Shalom Bayit” (peace in the house), or even just understanding that Shalom is in the root of “Jerusalem” from our Israel Studies integrations – our students get it. They are the next generations of peaceful warriors.. And what an honor and a privilege it has been to study together all year!

I look forward to 5778 and continuing to build a more just and peaceful world together.  May you have a wonderful summer and shine the light of peace wherever you are, and most importantly, who you become.

Shalom,

Josh

About Josh Troderman

Joshua Troderman, President of ShalomLearning has been a passionate innovator of Jewish education for 20 years. Josh has held teaching and administrative positions at a number of Jewish day schools, synagogues, and summer camps, including The Rashi School, The Rodeph Shalom Day School, The Kesher Community Hebrew School, The Rebecca and Israel Ivry Prozdor High School, Congregation Kehillath Israel, Camp Ramah, Camp Edward Isaacs, and Storahtelling. Since 2009, Josh has also directed JChoice.org, a giving platform that empowers Jewish youth to learn about and experience the mitzvah of Tzedakah. Josh holds a master’s degree in Jewish Education (2005) from The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education. He lives in Brookline, MA with his wife and two children, and can be seen playing keyboards and singing on Thursdays with his soul and funk band called The New Mother Earth.